Djibouti lies at the
southern entrance to the Red Sea at the strategic Bab-el-Mendab, which commands
the passageway to the Suez Canal for vessels to and from the Persian Gulf or the
Indian Ocean. Djibouti, which obtained independence from France on 27 June
1977, is home to the largest overseas French military base. Approximately 3,200
soldiers, including contingents from the French Air Force and Foreign Legion,
are stationed in Djibouti. It has borders with Somaliland, Ethiopia, and
Eritrea, three countries that have undergone upheavals in the recent past.
Mine Ban Policy
Djibouti signed the Mine Ban Treaty on 3 December
1997 and ratified it on 18 May 1998. On 5 June 1998, the United Nations
Secretariat informed Djibouti's Foreign Ministry that Djibouti's MBT
ratification instruments were received and duly registered. Djibouti did not
participate in any of the meetings of the Ottawa process; however, its quick
action on the MBT is largely due to the active involvement of the International
Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) and the concern shown by a number of Djibouti
government officials, particularly at the foreign ministry and within the
diplomatic corps of Djibouti. Between 1996 and the early period of 1998, ICRC
international and regional staff held seminars and visited government officials
on several occasions to discuss the global landmine crisis and the importance of
the MBT.
Djibouti voted in favor of the 1996, 1997, and 1998 pro-ban UN General
Assembly resolutions. Djibouti has signed and adheres to the 1980 U.N.
Convention on Conventional Weapons (CCW) and its Protocol II on mines. It has
not yet ratified the amended Protocol II (1996). Djibouti has not introduced
domestic legislation to implement the Mine Ban Treaty.
Production, Transfer, and Stockpiling
Djibouti is not a known landmine producer or
exporter. It appears to have obtained mines in the past from France and Italy.
Djibouti is the most important seaport on the southern coast of the Gulf of
Aden. It is the major port for all materials to Ethiopia. Ethiopia has signed,
but not ratified, the MBT. Neighboring Eritrea has not signed the MBT. The
transit of landmines through Djibouti territory is, therefore, a concern.
Indeed, Djibouti opposition groups claim that at least one shipment of landmines
was imported by Ethiopia through the port of
Djibouti.[1]
Djibouti officials strongly reaffirm Djibouti's intention to fully comply
with the MBT. With the help of technicians from the French Foreign Legion
stationed in Djibouti, the Djibouti military destroyed 350 kg of landmines and
UXO material in 1998.[2] It is
believed that additional stocks of AP mines remain, but no information is
available whether any other stocks are planned for destruction. The French
military indicates that it does not use mines in
Djibouti[3].
Use
Djibouti has a small landmine problem; the legacy of
a three-year internal war (1991-1994). Landmines were used in this war by the
rebel force of the Front for the Restoration of Unity and Democracy (FRUD) and
by government troops loyal to President Hassan Gouled
Abtidon.[4] The two sides
reconciled on 26 December 1994. Mines left behind by this war claimed victims
as recently as November 1998. A splinter group of the FRUD still maintains an
armed opposition in some northern zones. Djibouti military officers claim that
the opposition militia is now laying landmines near the border between Eritrea
and Djibouti, but this claim has not been
substantiated.[5]
In 1998, there were a number of landmine incidents. Most of the known
incidents were due to old landmines, but at least one incident involved new
landmines. In early November, an army truck ran over an anti-tank landmine near
Asageila. Four soldiers were killed and nine others were wounded. Fourteen
antipersonnel landmines were found in the vicinity of the anti-tank mine that
exploded. A month earlier, a soldier was killed by a landmine explosion. He
was with an army mine clearance team near the provincial town of Obock.
On 18 March 1998, an opposition militia mined a section of the road the leads
south from Ali Sabih town to the Somaliland/Ethiopian/Djibouti border. A driver
for the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees and three soldiers were
killed in two separate
incidents.[6]
Landmine Problem
In 1991, a long simmering dispute between the FRUD
and the government of Djibouti escalated into a full-scale war. Both sides used
landmines. Government military officers interviewed recently claim that the
army used landmines according to military doctrine and had properly marked
minefields. They indicate, however, that often the markings were lost. In
general, landmines were used around military camps and on access roads. There
is no indication of any large-scale use of landmines against the civilian
population by either party.
Landmines were most heavily used in the northern district of Obock. In Obock
town, the Djibouti army systematically laid mines to protect the army camp and
key installations and FRUD forces are said to have mined access roads out of
Obock and near the village of Andoli. A number of dry-river beds and camel
caravan routes were also mined near the district town of Tadjoura west of Obock.
The Djibouti military used French and Italian mines, while FRUD forces employed
Italian and Russian mines.
Although no reliable data are available on the extent of mine contamination.
Certain zones in the Afar highlands are, considered to face a higher landmine
threat than other areas.[7] There
has been no systematic survey of mined areas in Djibouti, but some of the known
mined areas are where recent landmine incidents occurred. The southern district
of Dikhil may contain some
landmines.[8] In Obock town, mines
have been found in the palm groves, which are now not tended because of landmine
threat. Access roads and riverbeds north of Tadjoura are also avoided.
Mine Action
The government recently appointed a mine action
taskforce composed of representatives from the military, Ministry of Health, the
ICRC and the World Health Organization (WHO). Representatives of the taskforce
attended the 1998 Kampala conference and have begun formulating an action plan.
The plan calls for a mine action program that includes surveys of mine-affected
zones, mine awareness and victim
assistance.[9] No funds have been
allocated to the taskforce action plan, but some donor countries and
international organization are said to be reviewing it for funding purposes.
In 1998, the French army completed the training of a contingent of thirty
military deminers. The newly trained deminers started limited demining exercise
in the district of Obock, one of the districts most severely affected by
landmines.[10] The United Nations
High Commissioner for Refugees is funding mine awareness and mine clearance
projects in Djibouti.[11]
Landmine Survivor Assistance
Djibouti's northern plateau, the area most heavily
contested during the civil war, and which contains most of the suspected
minefields or mined routes, is mostly rough mountainous terrain that contains
few easily accessible roads. Civilian victims face major difficulties in
calling for or reaching help. Military mine victims are almost always evacuated
by helicopter.
The District hospital of Obock, closest to areas with the greatest landmine
threat, was completely destroyed during the 1991-1994 civil war. There are now
only two hospitals in Djibouti capable of assisting victims of landmines. Both
are in Djibouti City. Civilian victims are treated at the public Peltier Group
Hospital. Although capable of major surgery, Peltier Hospital had gone through
a number of years of deterioration. All military victims of landmines are
treated at the French Military hospital of Bouffard, which has adequate but
small surgery and intensive care facilities. Civilians are not normally treated
at this hospital.
Post-operative care is not available for mine victims in Djibouti. Peltier
Hospital, Peltier has a small rehabilitation center for amputees and other
handicapped persons. It is not equipped to provide prosthetics. No job
training or psychological rehabilitation facilities exist in Djibouti.
The local office of the ICRC has been active in providing some assistance to
mine victims. The ICRC, which has a rehabilitation facility in Addis Ababa,
Ethiopia, imports prosthetics for landmine amputees or sends patients to Addis
Ababa to be fitted with artificial limbs. During the 1994 and 1997 period, the
ICRC has assisted a total of nineteen landmine victims with prosthetic devices.
Seventeen of the victims were from the army and two were from the FRUD. The
useful life-span of the prosthetics made at the ICRC center in Addis Ababa is
about 18-24 months, and nine of the victims were re-fitted with new devices in
1997.[12]
[4]Interview with Gen. Zakaria of
the Djibouti Armed Forces.
[5]On a number of occasions,
spokesmen for opposition militia have claimed responsibility for some incidents
in which landmines were reportedly used. This was the case on 18-19 March when
rebels claimed a successful assault on a military post south of Ali Sabih.
[6]“Program Summary - Radio
France Internationale,” Paris Radio France Internationale, 21 March
1998.
[7]Information on mined zones and
the types of mines used was obtained from Djibouti military sources and members
of the Task Force on Landmines.
[8]Interview with Djibouti
military officers, 14 January 1999.
[9]Landmine Monitor interview
with Dr. Mohamed Said Madian, Chief Medical Officer.